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AX ADDRESS 



DELIVERED AT THE 



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I?z FeUonz'iUe, Jilass., Feh. 18, 1865, 



R'V^ 



SAMUEL W. McDANIEL. 



Friiitecl by x-ecLue.st, 



FELTONVILLE : 

CHAS. A. AVOOD, BOOK. CARD AND JOP. PRINTEK. 
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DELIVERED AT THE ^1^ 



g\\\\m\ d €^t mwimi |. fMjjfettJ, 



In Feltonuille^ J^o^ss., Feh. IS, 1^65, 



B^V^ 



SAMUEL \V. McDANIEL, 



Printetl by re^ijiiest. 



PELTONVILLS : 

t BAXLiS A. WOOD, BOOK, CARD AND JOB P R IN T g » 

18 6 5. 






"Oh, fallen in manhood's fairest noon, 
We will remember, 'mid our sighs, 

He never yields his life too soon, 
For Country aad for Right who dic».' 



7y 






ADDRESS. 



** For death cometh through our windows, it en- 
teretk our palaces ; it cuttetii off the children 
prom the street," and the young men from the public 
I'LACJis." Jer. IX ch. : 21 verse. 

How striking and aftecting the contrast between the 
scene we behold to-day, and that which we beheld on 
that bright and beautiful day of August, 1862, Avhen 
he whose lifeless form lies before us, stood upon our 
public square with his soldier-comrades, and received 
the tearful farewells of this communitj^ ! 

In that group of gallant volunteers for Union and 
Freedom, none were more enthusiastic and devoted, 
none carried to the defense of the imperilled cause a 
clearer head, a l)raver arm, or a better heart. 

He had eloquently invoked the patriotic self-denial 
of our young men, and when they seemed to hesitate 
for a leader he showed that he understood the elo- 
(luence of action as well as of speech. Promptly, 
cheerfully, eagerly he pledged his services in a military 
•capacity, and from the hour of his enlistment he gave 
his entire time and energies to the recruitment of a 
company from this neighborhood tor the U. S. Army. 
I speak from personal observation when I testify to tlie 
earnestness and alacrity with which he conmiitted him- 
.self to the sacred duties which he then undertook. 



It was generally conceded that we were sending 
forth one of our choicest spirits, of whom we could say, 
without disparagement to any, his natural gifts, cul- 
ture, social position and prosj)ects might fairly tempt 
him to contemplate from afar the suflerings and perils 
of a soldier's life and to desire exemption from 
the risk of meeting a soldier's death and filling a sol- 
dier's grave. 

I seem to see him as he listened on that day of 
parting to the words of respect, congratulation and 
benediction which fell from the lips of him who then 
ministered to another religious society in this village 
and for whom the deceased always entertained higix 
regard, and also from him whose lot it is to to-day 
to speak another and a longer farewell ! 

And it requires but little effort to recall his modest 
l»ut fervent reply, in which he j)romiseti to bring no 
discredit upon the dear friends he was about to leave, 
nor upon the fair fame of his native town and State. 

Of a commanding personal appearance, robust frame, 
vigorous constitution, and temperate habits, we could 
not but hope, if he 'escaped the bullets of the foe, he 
might return unscathed to the home of his fathers, and 
after a long life of usefulness, rest amid his kindred. 
Two and a half years have transpired since his depar- 
tare for the seat of war, — a short period as men reckon 
time — but could those speechless lips articulate they 
might tell us how crowded those months have been 
with the incessant exactions of duty as it came in mul- 
tiplied forms ; of short rations and hard marches; the 
lonely i)i(d\et and the exciting skirmish ; the dreadful 
H)ar and crash of battle ; tlie wearisome days and sleep- 
hiss nights when worn and exhausted, the body sought 
I'opose and shelter — the eartli for a (H)uch and the sky 
lor a can()})y — ))ut evermore Avith the ministering 
iUigels of God tenderly Avatching over him; the 
l)ainful anxii'ty for the loved ones at home ; the alter- 
nate hope and fear as to the prospect of meeting theui 



again on earth ; and, more than all, the proud con- 
sciousness that this hardship and peril was being en- 
dured in the sacred cause of Freedom and Righteous- 
ness, and that the hour of victory however it might be 
delayed, was, in the good providence of the Almighty, 
sure to arrive. At last that eventful experience, cul- 
minated in a long and distressing illness and in death. 

We have assembled to-day that we may gather up 
the fruitful lessons which this life and death inculcate ; 
and when we shall have carried hence the worn out 
Ijody let us strive to catch inspiration from the faithful 
study of the noble ([ualities which adorned and char- 
acterised the imperish;d)le spirit. 

C.iptain William h\ Brigham, son of Francis and 
Sophia Brigham, was born in Feltonville, April 9, 
I80O, and having deceased February 6, 1865, was 
therefore 26 years of age, lacking 2 months and 3 days. 

His earliest years were spent in this village. Here 
he formed ties which were ever strong and sacred. And 
it is no mean testimony to his moral and intellectual 
worth that he Avas trusted and beloved by those who 
had known him from childhood. 

The least eventful part of his life was his boyhoods 
and I must pass over that rapidly. In his thirteenth 
^year he Avas a pupil in the academy in this toAvn, then 
under the care of that veteran and respected teacher 
Hon. 0. W. Al])ee. In the spring and summer of 
1864 he attended school at Monson. During the 
autumn and Avinter of 1854-5 he Avas a member of the 
Grammar school of this village. In the spring and 
summer of 1856 he left home again, but this time to 
become a scholar at Fort EdAvard. The autumn and 
Avinter of 1856-7 he sjient at Monson. The summer 
of 1857 found him at the Hudson River Institute. He 
returned in season to accept for the winter term charge 
of the North School of this toAvn. Said an individual 
who Avas a pupil of his, and Avho is employed as a 
teacher in one of the schools of Marlborough^ " I re- 



6 

<i;iir(lc;l William F. Bri<ji;ham as the best teacher I have 
ever had." During the remainder of 1858 he studied 
under the direction of Rev. L. E.Wakefield, and he inva- 
riably accorded to that gentleman, scholar and christian, 
the largest measure of credit as a teacher and an 
adviser. In 1859 he attended again at the Hudson 
River Institute, and during the autumn and winter of 
that year and the spring of 1860 he was a member of 
the Academy at Exeter, N. Hampshire. In the autumn 
of 1860 he entered Tuft's College, Avhere he continued 
until July, 1862. During the winter previous to leav- 
ing college he taught school No. 4 of this town, as 
before when he sustained the relation of teacher, giv- 
ing general satisfaction. 

In the meantime tlie rebellion of the Southern 
States startled the country. To a young man consti- 
tuted as he was, it was not possible to remain an 
indifierent spectator. I have read a letter wdiich 
he wrote to a friend, July 22, 1862, in wdiich he stated 
his determination to volunteer in the army, and gave 
at some length his opinion of national affairs. Said 
he : " Had government taken a bold and decisive 
stand at the outset ; declared the emancipation of the 
^slaves, I think the war would have been ended ere 
this. Such a step now might avert the ruin which 
impencis. If the Government must go down, wliich 
heaven forbid ! better go down with a glorious proc- 
lamation in behalf of an oppressed race for its epitaph, 
t'lKin to do so denying the rights of humanity." 

Soon after this letter was written, i, e. August 27, 
1862, he enlisted in the U. S. Army, and at once, with 
characteristic ardor, by private and by public appeals 
threw his whole soul into the business of recruitino-. 

He found some of his companions — a few of whom 
like himself were born and reared in this community, 
and who were mucli attached to him — ready to share 
the hardships, perils and honors of the soldiers life. 

I think no one has entered the Union army Vvitli a 



clearer miclerytandiiig of the tremendous issues involved 
in the contest. He vi''as uriwiihiig that the Govern- 
uient should be destroyed and the country divided ; but 
he had not the slightest sympathy v.ith those who were 
striving to maintain the unity of the nation and also ta 
preserve the accursed system of human bondage which 
had been the teeming cause of all our national woes. 
He was a decided, unflinching, uncompromising friend- 
and advocate of universal and impartial freedom. 

Had tliis w^ar 1jeen continued on the same plan on 
w^hich it Avas orioinailv conducted I know not but 
his liie would have Ijcen sacrificed in vain. But the 
people and their rulers had learned righteousness in the 
school of defeat and humiliation ; at last came the de- 
cree of the President, by which the slaves of rebels 
were declared free, and the whole power of the nation 
pledged to make good that declaration. From that 
hour, our departed friend regarded this war as sacred 
as any ever waged since the foundations of earth w^ere 
laid. I can give you no better evidence of his lofty 
patriotism and unquenchable courage, than this, that 
he enlisted in the dark days of the struggle, for the 
entire war, without the inducement of high bounties ; 
and that throus^hout his term of service he shared in 
the sufTerings and dangers of the most severe and try- 
ing campaigns in which our armies have been engaged, 
without regret for the decision he had made, and with- 
out despair of the ultimate success of the cause of truth, 
and freedom. 

I have thus traced, necessarily with brevity, the life 
of him whom we mourn to-day, to the period of his en- 
tering the service of the U. S. Government, to assist in 
suppressing the foul treason which was threatening its 
salety. 

It is my purpose now to give a concise yet compre- 
hensive statement of the various operations in which 
his regiment was employed ; for the history of its work 
will be substantially a record of his toils. 



For the main fa,cts of tlii^^ iiaiTativo, 1 am greatly in. 
debtee! to the official reports of the commanders of the 
regiment. It has already been intimated- that the de- 
ceased was active and efficient in raising the company 
with which he has been so long identified. Soon after 
going into camp, the executive of the State, recognis- 
ing his merits and promise, commissioned him First 
Lieutenant. This commission bore date August 22, 
18G2. 

Tlie 36th Mass. Vol., to wdiich his Co. was attached, 
left Worcester for Washington, emljarking on the 
Steamer Merrimack, on the 2d of Sejitember, 1802, 
and arrived at the Capital on the 7th of September, 
where it received orders to join Gen. McClellan's army. 
On the 7th of October it marched to Pleasant Valley, 
over the mountainf*, the roads having been obstructed 
by the rebels. On tlie 11th of October it was sent to 
Frederick, Md., wdiicli it w^as ordered to protect from 
any attack by Stuart's Cavalr}'", which was then mak-^ 
ing a raid around the entire army of the Potomac. — =■ 
October 2Gth, it crossed the Potomac on a pontoon at 
Berlin, Md., marched to Lovettsville, Virginia, and en- 
camped at night, cold, wet and weary. About this 
time new life was given to the men by the announce- 
ment that Gen. Burnside had been appointed to the 
command of that noble army. 

Before crossing into Virginia, our lamented friend 
wrote home as follows : "Pleasant Valley, Md., Oct. 
17, 18G2. You tell me to keep up good courage. My 
courage never flags. My spirits are ever buoyant. — 
My faith never wavers. 

I contemplate the future without a shudder. It shall 
never be said of me. He faltered in the hour of danger. 
If I cannot return to the dear ones I left, I can at 
least give you the consolation of knowing that I died 
like a man. 

If sadness ever fills my heart it is at the retiection 
that loved ones at home will miss me, should I never 



9 

more return. Indulge no fears sliould 1 fall. Life's 
transitory scenes will soon be o'er to us all. I can but 
precede you a few 3'ears soon passed! 

We shall very soon, perhaps before tliis reaches you, 
receive the shock of battle. If the cause stands, it 
matters not who falls." 

Noble sentiment ! Let it be the epitaph chiselled 
upon the marble that shall mark the spot where his 
dust shall repose. Cut many a duty and hardship lay. 
before him in the future, V\'hose secrets were known 
only to Ilim who controls men and events. 

Oct. 29, the regiment with the remainder of the 
grand army, continued its march to Warrouton and Fal- 
mouth, where it arrived Nov. 19. During one week 
of this march, the men subsisted on two ears of corn 
each, per day the supply trnin liaving been cut off. 

The regiment did picket duty on the Rappahannock 
till Doc. 12, when it crossed o\cr into Fredericksburg;. • 

AVhile near Warreuton he wrote, Nov. IG, as fol- 
lows : Dear Father and Mother : — The G;rave is srather- 
ing in many of our men. I see tliose every day who 
have fatal diseases mining at the seat of life. Have no 
uneasiness al)Out me. 

It ^vould be inexpressibly pleasant to meet you once 
more, but if this cannot be, I will wait your coming, 
ye fondly cherislied ones, on the other side of the river! 

Well, Thanksgiving soon comes. that I could gath- 
er with you, as I have in past jears, around the Thanks- 
giving board ! Bufe duty keeps me here, and I cheer- 
fully stand at my post. Leave a vacant chair at the 
Thanksgiving table for me, and if then alive, on the 
27th of November, at 1 o'clock P. M., I will be spirit- 
ually with you." 

Be assured that in no spirit of lightness, but in sober- 
ness and faith was this tender message sent. 

During; the battle of Fredericksburg;, the reg;iment 
was held in reserve on the bank of the river. On the 
night of the 15th, it re- crossed the river and occvipied 
its old camp. 



10 

Writing to his parents from this place, anci under 
iJ'ery trying circnmstances, he says : " If the cause 
which commands my love and best efforts is finally 
triumphant, I accept willingly the hardships and sac- 
rifices which attend its vindication." And he closes 
thus : " Your letter, father, was read three times, and 
I have it with me to read again. No lover ever prized 
letters from the object of his love more than I do 
your's. And your handwriting, mother, is more often 
seen than any other. God bless you for your faithful 
remembrance." 

Jan. oOtli, 1863, he was commissioned as captain in 
place of Capt. Hastings, deceased. But the scene of 
his labors was to be changed. Feb. 10th the regiment 
left for Newport News, where the ninth army corps 
encamped and drilled for six weeks. Then the division 
to which the 36th Mass. belonged was ordered West. 
March 29th the regiment arrived at Lexington, Ken- 
tucky, and for awhile marched and countermarched 
across that State in pursuit of guerillas. 

On the night of Jun(? 7th it started for Vicksburg, 
Miss., to assist in Gen. Grant's operations. In ten 
days time the ninth Corps was in position, ten miles in 
the rear of Vicksburg, charged with the duty of pre- 
venting the reinforcement of the besieged garrison. 

Vicksburg fell July 4tli, and the next day began a 
pursuit of the rebel General Johnson's forces, which 
were compelled to evacuate Jackson, the capital of the 
State. This terrible march unde'V a tropical sun was 
fatal to many of the men. Without rations, they 
marched until some fell dead in the ranks, and nearly 
all were exhausted. About half the Division went 
into the hospital. 

The Mississippi campaign was a severe one for the 
36th, worse than half-a-dozen battles in a moderate 
climate would have been. From the eflects of it the 
records show that the regiment lost lull fifty men by 
death, and twice that number by discharge. And we 
jghall see that the constitution of Capt. Brigham re'- 



11 

fceived its first serious shock in that terrible campaign. 
Leaving its sick — which numbered nearly three-fourths 
of tiie whole — at many hospitals by the way, the regi- 
ment returned to Kentucky; ^and on the 10th of Sep- 
tember left for East Tennessee, reaching Morristown 
after a march of one hundred and forty miles. 

The* next promijient place at which we find these toil- 
ing faithful men is Knoxville. From thence they made 
frequent expeditions after guerillas, losing some valua- 
ble men, but inllicting considerable damage upon the 
^enemy. 

On the 20th of October the regiment went into 
winter (piarters at Lenoir's ; but on the 14th of No- 
vember the approach of Longstreet made it necessary 
to fill back upon Knoxville, For lack of transporta- 
tion, nearly all the regimental baggage was destroyed — 
a sad loss as subsequent events proved. Constant 
skirmishing and some casualties ensued as the men re- 
treated. Finally the Union forces drew up around 
Knoxville— the brigade in which the 36th was, occupy- 
ing Fort Saunders and the ritle pits to the east of it 
during the siege. The rebels made repeated and furi- 
ous assaults upon this part of our lines but were always 
repulsed with great slaughter. 

While the siege was j^rogi'essing the men suffered 
much from cold, hunger, want of clothing and of sleep. 
When not on picket they were in the ritle pits. Quar- 
ter rations only were issued, and many lacked blankets 
and shoes, and nearly all overcoats. At last, on the 
4th of December, the enemy baffled in his designs, 
raised the siege and retreated. A forced march in 
jDursuit revealed the f ict that Longstreet had met heavy 
reinforcements, and it was deemed useless to attack 
him. 

The regiment had comparative quiet for some time 
after the memorable siege of Knoxville. While in 
East Tennessee, Capt. Brigham wrote a letter in which 
he referred to a rumor that there was to be peace by 
.compromise, among other things guaranteeing amnesty 



12 

to the leading trcaitors. Under date of Feb. 5, 1864, he 
said : " I sincerely hope such a monstrous proposition 
will not be entertained a single instant. In the name 
of Justice and Humanity let the war go on until every 
purpose stirted witii, and every purpose the struggle 
has developed are fully accomplished. The legist rec- 
ompense for our sacrifices we can honorably be satis- 
fied with is the condign punishment of the authors and 
leaders of the Rebellion, and tlie establishment of uni- 
versal Freedom." 

Feb. 11th, in expectation of being ordered East, he 
wrote to his Father as follows : *^ I cannot conceal the 
pleasure I should feel to take you once more by the 
hand, ere I go into tlie terrible camj)aigns of the present 
year. It would give hapj^iness beyond measure to visit 
my native village after so long an absence. I long 
to see the dear old home, to look into the old familiar 
faces once more. If this privilege is denied me, I shall 
continue faithful to the good cause I have sworn to 
serve unto the end, in the hope that when the Union 
shall have triumphed over all its enemies I may meet 
you once more to comfort and sustain the declining 
years of your life. 

I have no anxiety about the tenure of my own life, 
yet it is somethnes with fear and trembling that I read 
the letter from home, fearful lest it reveal the loss of 
some dear one there. 

While the regiment was at Strawberry Plains, East 
Tennessee, there was a period when, as I have learned 
from official sources, the rations of the men were six 
spoonsfuls of flour for seven days, and what corn could 
be picked up from under the feet of the mules and 
horses ! 

I am constrained to omit all account of expeditions 
after guerillas and skirmishes with small bodies of the 
enemy — minor affairs to be sure — but involving many 
a weary march and desperate struggle. 

March 21st, the regiment commenced its famous 



13 

journey over the Cumberland Mountains to Nichoks- 
ville, Kentucky — a distance of one hundred and ninetj^- 
eight miles. Now remember its long and toilsome 
marches back and forth through Kentucky and Ten- 
nessee, prior to tliis march over the mountains, — re- 
member that before entering upon its campaign in East 
Tennessee, it had marched an aggregate distance of 
one tiiousand and thirteen miles, and had been trans- 
ported an aggregate distance of four thousand, three 
hundred and twenty-eight miles, and you can form some 
conception of a portion of the sacrifices which this 
noble man and his comrades have cheerfully and un- 
selfishly made Tor our common countrj'. April 1st it 
reached Nicholasville, where it took the cars for An- 
napolis which it reached on the 6tii. Here it was ex- 
pected tliat after the trying campaign through which it 
had gone, the regiment would be allowed a rest of 
several weeks ; but after remaining only seventeen 
days, orders came to reinforce Gen. Grant, who was 
then about to commence his great movement against 
the army of Gen. Lee. 

May 5th, the regiment crossed the Eapidan, and 
the following day was engaged in the sanguinary battle 
of the Wilderness, in which it charged the enemy three 
times, losing heavily. In that struggle, Col. Draper,jwho 
is with us to-day, received a severe and painful wound. 

Let me digress a moment to relate an incident of that 
contest which I am sure will interest many of this 
community'. Our army had occasion to change its 
position, a*nd volunteers were called for to go out upon 
the field of carnage under the enemy's fire, and bring 
in such wounded as might have been left. 

A few gallant men of the 36th oifered to perform 
this perilous service. While thus emjDloyed one of 
them was struck by the fatal bullet of the sliarpshooter 
and was himself borne away upon the stretcher which 
he had assisted to carry from camp. Near where he 
fell they have buried him, and in that far off grave re- 



Tposcs tlie (lu^tof a diligent and faitliful soldier — 
George E. Nourse. 

But to return to the narrative of the doings of the 
Tegiment, May 12th, it was engaged in the battle of 
Spottsylvania Court House, in which it lost severely. 
From this time, to the date of the admission of Capt. 
Brigham to the hospital, the 3 6th was skirmishing al- 
most daily with the enemy. 

I had omitted to state that in the latter part of 
March he was ordered home to recruit for the regi- 
ment. But soon after he arrived he was prostrated by 
severe illness. He remained at homotfibout six weeks 
when he returned to the seat of war, though still far 
from enjoying his usual vigorous health. 

Under date of June 6, 1864, he writes from camp 
of the 36th, nine miles from Richmond : " I have been 
quite ill since I last wrote, I could get no medicine — 
nothing but exposure and hardship. The Surgeon 
proposed to send me to the rear, to an army hospital, 
but I am determined to remain with the regiment, and 
-do what I can to bring the present campaign to a suc- 
cessful issue. While we survey, in sadness of heart, 
the thousands of new made graves where our comrades 
lie, still we reme"inber proudly that, as yet, no back- 
ward step has been taken." This was his last letter 
while with the regiment. 

The next was dated City Point, June 24th, and was 
addressed, "Dear Father and Mother : I am at present 
stopping at this place, and am unfit for active field duty; 
I shall try to go to Washington, to-morrow, where I 
liope for quiet, and a regular and decent diet for a short 
1;ime, which is needed to make me strong and capable 
as a soldier. I made a mistake in not remaining at 
home a few days longer until I had recovered all my 
'Original strength and flesh. I have felt the inliuence of 
that sickness more or less ever since, or in other words, 
I have never fully recovered from it. I intend to take 



15 

filings patiently, trusting Providence that all will come 
out rifi!;lit in the end." 

By reference to the official report of the Surgeon in 
charge, I find that he was admitted to the Officer's 
hospitnl at Annapolis, Md., June 29th, 1864. On the 
22d of September he wrote : "I still linger in the hospit- 
al, though I am tired and disgusted with hospital life." 
Nov. 18th he writes again, to say: "I suppose you have 
been expecting a letter from me for some time. The 
reason of ray silence was, I have been very sick. The 
lack of many little attentions I had received at home, 
with the loneliness of my situation, added to some ex- 
isting debility of system, brought me very low. For 
several days I was kept up by stimulants. I had ex- 
pected to pass aAvay from earth, and I confess I shud- 
dered not at the prospect of meeting her, who for long 
years has been but a fond and sacred memory — the 
dear mother that bore me. I am improving now, and 
hope to recover my health ere long. I Contracted this 
malaria during the campaign in Miss., it is the same 
thing which so shattered my company after those 
operations near Vicksburg and Jackson." The last let- 
ter he wrote home bears date January 4th, 1865. He 
speaks of the temporary absence of Wilbur, his twdn 
brother, who for weeks, by day and night, had most 
faithfully and affectionately ministered to his wants. — 
And he adds : " I had hoped to be able to start home 
"With him by this time, but the last month of constant 
bad w^eather has been unfavorable for me, and I am in 
no condition to travel a long distance yet. When 
Wilbur first came, I was recovering as fast as I could 
expect, but unfortunately my disease took an adverse 
turn. I hope to get strength enough to leave here be- 
fore long. It is useless for me to state that I am sick 
and disgusted with this hospital life, but I see no other 
way to do, but to be patient and hojDeful, always look- 
ing for a change for the better." 

But He without wdiose notice not cv'en a sparrow 



16 

can fall, had decreed that the change, \^'hen it cnme, 
should release him finally from earthl}^ trials, and usher 
him into that sphere in -which there is no war, nor 
rumors of war, wdiere the inhahitants never say *' I am 
sick," and where sorrow and sighing are never known. 

He had many opportunities of communicating with 
his brother Wilbur during those weary hours of watch- 
ing and suffering. He spoke often of home and its as- 
sociations. At one time, refering to the ancient fra- 
ternity with wdiich he was connected, he said : " If a 
brotlier Mason was true to his obligations, an own rela- 
tive could not be more devoted in the hour of trial." — ^ 
He received much assistance from the brotherhood in 
liis sickness, and his last hours were soothed by their 
kind attentions. His departure leaves a sad vacancy 
in the band of brethren, but as the circle become 
smaller, let those that remain in the llesh, join hands 
and hearts in a tenderer fellowship, sustained by the 
hope, that in a holier realm, each missing link of the 
dissevered chain will be restored. 

The generous and unselfish impulses of our friend, 
bound him to every philanthropic enterprise. For some 
years he was an honored and useful member of Fel- 
tonville Division Sons of Temperance. I have been 
favored with the reading of a manuscript, written and 
subscribed by him, on the 17th of March, 1854, in 
which he solemnly promises to abstain from the use of 
all intoxicating drinks. All that was reformatory and 
elevating, found an enthusiastic advocate in him. The 
high moral tone of his character saved him from the 
vices which fetter and ruin so many promising young 
men. 

Engine Company, No. 3, of Feltonville, composed, 
as it always has been, of the foremost citizens of the 
neighborhood, was proud to acknowledge him as one 
of its most active and efficient members. I recall the 
friendly words he sj)oke on the morning he left home 
for the seat of war, when he thanked you, gentlemen, 



17 



for your kind escort on that occasion. With a voice 
tremulous with emotion, he said :— " Comrades, after 
seven years of liappy companionship with you, I bid 
you an affectionate farewell !" 

Again you have tendered an escoi-t, but to-day you 
will assist in performing for him the last service which 
the living can perform for the dead ; and I doubt not 
that :is you stand by his open grave, the moan of the 
wintry winds will seem to bear to your hearts the echo 
ot that touching farewell ! 

Here to-day are assembled also- a few of his com- 
rades 1.1 arms. Faithful soldiers of a grateful repubHc, 
your trie lid and companion has heard the glad reveille 
which lias called him to higher duties and brighter 
scenes. Jle has n ceived his last marching orders, has 
struck his tent, and has obeyed the summons to'that 
clime, lovelier far than poets sing, where the roar of 
cannon and peal of musketry shall never disturb his 
sacred peace. The memoiy of him who has laid down 
his life for our country will be kept fresh and green by 
ever\' succeeding generation of his countrymen ! 

Last autumn, when bethought himself almost at the 
portals of death, he indited a few lines to the dear kin-. 
dred whom he cherished with undying affection. 

And no words of mine, if never so carefully chosen 
and earnestly spoken, can appeal to their hearts like 
that message from his own lips. 

" To tjou, dear ones of the family circle, I return the sincere gratitude 
of my heart for your life-long and afftctimate kindness. With undying . 
love, I will cherish your memories until we meet again. Yes, believe it, 
we shall meet again ! I only precede you a little in entering the mys- 
terious realms of shade. With truest love to you each and all, I bid you 
an affectionate, and a last good bye/" 

Finally the summons came, and as he had often done 
before, he yielded obedience to the mandate of superior 
Authority, and advanced to take his place in that long 
and silent procession, which the veil of eternity con- 



18 

ceals from mortal view. I could not, if I would dis- 
close all the incidents of that last scene, when the spirit 
fluttered in its tenement, impatient for its flight. It 
was nearly eight o'clock in the evening, when his 
brother having lain by his side, — the dying man aroused 
him : " Wilbur, do you see this beautiful landscape ?" 
The reply was, " what landscape ?" Instantly he re- 
sponded, " THIS, ALL AROUND US ! " 

I know not how much of the bliss, and glory of 
heaven had been unfolded to his enraptured vision ! — 
Perhaps he had beheld what thrilled the soul of the 
poet, when he wrote : — 

" Sweet fields beyond the swelling floods. 
Stand dressed in living green." 

Later he said : " Wilbur, I go to greet our Mother ! 
'Tis but a little in advance of the rest." And he ex- 
pressed his desire to be buried in the family lot, beside 
the form oi her who bore him, and to whom he ever 
referred with a deep and abiding tenderness, which 
adds immortal lustre to his memory. 

At last, the final struggle came to the weary worn 
out soldier. His faithful attendant, painfully solicitous 
to catch his last utterance, bent over him, and be- 
sought him to speak yet once more ! Alas, the spirit 
was willing, but the flesh was weak ! A tear fell upon 
his pale, hollow cheek, but the lips were dumb ! Away 
from home and family, and the blissful scenes of his 
youth, it seemed hard to die thus ! And yet could he 
have responded to that brother's appeal, might he not 
have said : — 

" How little recks it where men die, 

When once the moment's passed. 
In which the dim and glazing eye, 

Has looked on earth its last ? 
Whether within the sculptured urn, 

Or coffin's cell, they rest, 
Or in their nakedness, return 

Back to their mother's breast ? 



19 

'Twere sweet, indeed, to close our eyes, 

With those we cherish near. 
And, wafted upward by their sighs. 

Soar to a happier sphere ; 
Yet, whether on the scaffold high. 

Or in the battle's van, 
The fittest place where man can die 

Is WHERE HE DIES FOB MAN !" 

In the assurance that though this young and fair life 
has been freely poured out, yet, since he served his 
country and the cause of Freedom, and died in their 
behalf, he neither lived nor died in vain. I do most 
confidently exhort this sorrowing circle of friends to 
trust in the ever blessed Father who hath given and 
taken away ; and since they loved him living, and 
mourn his early departure, let them cherish with grat- 
itude, affection and hope the memory of William F. 
Brigham. 



r^S 



